Apple Pie
by bltbackwards
Summary: Asami believes cooking is a strict science: input the correct ingredients and follow the proper procedure to create a perfect end result. Korra believes it is a form of art and must be allowed to exist past equations. Will the two manage to find the secret to the perfect apple pie? One shot, Korrasami fluff


A/N: My first step into the LoK universe. I'm catching up with shows I've been meaning to watch and Legend of Korra was one of them. Finished all four books in two days and now I have no clue what to do with my life… Anyways, pre-defined relation and a bit modern AU in the way of speech. Just some shameless Korrasami fluff. Enjoy!

* * *

**Apple Pie**

Korra awoke to the smell of something delicious. The avatar smiled, although she held the personal mantra of "Mornings are evil," she had to agree that this was a pleasant way to wake up. With a lazy stretch and a yawn, Korra pulled herself away from the safe confines of the bed and made her way downstairs, following the smells of freshly baked goods.

Asami brushed a stray strand away from her face, leaving a light streak of white flour in its wake. The engineer grabbed a fork and gingerly stuck it into pie number five dash three. Apple and cinnamon scented steam rose from the small hole created. Asami's eyebrow quirked up in thought as she slowly chewed the sample, allowing it to traverse her taste buds before swallowing.

The heiress let out an un-content sigh and scribbled down a few notes on one of the many pages scattered amongst the baking supplies before returning the pencil to its place behind her ear. Asami broke off a piece of the crust and brought it close to her face. She crumbled it gently in between her thumb and forefinger, noting the consistency. The engineer made to write down a few more notes when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Morning, beautiful."

Asami looked up from scrutinizing the pie crust to see Korra smiling at her from the doorway. The avatar was still wearing her lose sleepwear and her short hair was ruffled, signs she just got out of bed.

"Morning, sleepyhead" grinned Asami.

"Hey, it's the weekend. Besides, being the avatar is hard work." Asami rolled her eyes, but the side of her mouth quirked up into a smile. "It smells amazing in here. What are you up to?" asked Korra, taking a seat across from the heiress.

"I'm making a pie."

"Looks more like an army of pies," said Korra, jerking her thumb in the direction of the nearby dining table filled with various pies.

Asami let out a small laugh and grinned sheepishly. "Well as you know, Meelo's birthday is in a few days and so I thought I'd bring a pie over. Logically, I had to test out a recipe beforehand to make sure it tasted good. So I tasted the first one, but thought it could be better. Then the next and, well…" she trailed off gesturing to the table of pies, each sporting a number drawn on it with whipped cream.

"And so you went full Asami Sato on the kitchen?" filled in Korra with a grin.

"You could say so," replied Asami and flashed a smile before returning to work.

Korra watched in comfortable silence, her elbow resting on the counter and her head supported by her hand, as Asami moved around the kitchen. It was then she noticed a series of blueprints hanging from a cabinet. The avatar got up and looked at them closer. "Are these blueprints of… pies?" asked Korra, her face scrunched up in confusion.

Sure enough white lines stood out upon the blue pages, denoting optimal radii, circumference, and height. A few had different crust designs, each meticulously stating the desired width of each crust piece. Asami turned her attention from the stove, which was now already half taken apart for the fourth time today, and blushed slightly. "Yeah, well when the chemistry part wasn't clicking I thought it might be the geometry."

"Wait, chemistry?"

Asami nodded and pointed her screwdriver towards the other wall, which was also covered in paper. Korra made her way over and saw the scribbles consisted of balancing equations and other figures she couldn't make heads or tails of. The avatar turned and faced the woman who was fixing the stove with a mixed look of disbelief and pride. "I know. It's embarrassing how much effort I'm putting into this to this silly little thing. I mean, the first one was just fine and I should have settled there but—" the rambling engineer was cut off by Korra, whose was giving her the widest grin.

"Shh," admonished Korra, closing the distance between them and placing a light finger on Asami's lips. "I think it's perfectly adorable how much work you've put into this. Where I see a delectable treat to be served fresh from the oven with ice cream, you see streams of formulas and designs and spirits knows what else floats around in that brilliant mind of yours. All of this," said Korra, sweeping her hand around, gesturing to the kitchen. "Is so very…" she paused searching for a word. One that you aptly describe the light flutter of her heart at the sight. "It's so very _you_." The avatar smiled warmly up at Asami. "And I love it."

Asami smiled back and embraced the avatar in a hug. "Spirits Korra, forget all of these pies, I can get my sweet tooth fix just by listening to you talk."

Korra chuckled and pulled away from the embrace, her face turning into one of mock seriousness. The avatar wagged her finger and made a "tisk-tisk" noise. "But Asami, you have to realize there is no formula to making the perfect pie."

"Of course there is," scoffed Asami. "Cooking is an exact science, just like engineering."

Korra raised an inquisitive eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Oh, do enlighten me, great pie designer."

Asami rolled her eyes playfully and continued. "There are certain optimal knows and a list of possible variables. The kitchen is just a laboratory and each goal we wish to achieve can be broken down into simple components.

"Each taste composition can be constructed knowing the human's biological cravings and way acids and bases react, what works best to release the most amount of endorphins, etcetera. The perfect temperature distribution to get that flaky crust and warm inside are attributed to the workings of the oven, the shape of the pie. Optimal aesthetics can be achieved knowing tricks such as the eye's tendency to enjoy symmetry, and the list continues," Asami stopped for a moment to take a breath. "In order to make the perfect pie, you just need to follow the calculations."

Korra blinked a few times to ingest the sudden tidal wave of Asami's thoughts. "Wow, you think of _all_ of _that_ when you look at a pie?"

Asami shrugged. "Sometimes I can't turn off my brain and it wanders."

"_Wanders_? That implies relaxing! Leave it to you to make pie making into a case that needs a full board of scientists and engineers," teased Korra, earning her a small hit on the shoulder. "But, Asami, really. Cooking is an art, like… literature. Or bending!"

Korra angled her face slightly and stroked her chin in thought for a moment before continuing. "It's an adventure in self-expression and exploration!" She gestured at nothing in particular, her hand movements and smile getting larger as she hooked onto the idea. "Yeah! It's something that is born from the soul, only limited by the boundaries of your own imagination!"

"And laws of physics," chimed in Asami.

Korra pouted. "You're ruining my vibe."

"Aww, my poor avatar," Asami cupped Korra's cheek and give it a quick kiss. "There, all better?"

Korra grinned stupidly, her face sported a light blush. "Yeah." The avatar turned and grabbed an apron hanging on the hook. "Here, let the master of the four elements help you on your quest for a perfect pie."

* * *

Asami closed her eyes, savoring the taste. "Your…blob of a pie is wonderful!"

"Hey, don't go insulting my pie!" huffed Korra, who was now covered in streaks of flour and a mess with other ingredients.

Asami smiled as she placed the pie amongst the growing colony on the table, before walking over to Korra. "You've got a little something," the heiress said, reaching over and picking out a piece of an apple skin from Korra's chestnut hair.

"Oops, I get a little messy, huh?"

Asami giggled. "Yes, you've got some filling right…" the engineer leaned closer and wiped a mixture of cinnamon and apple off the avatar's jaw.

Korra's blue eyes met with Asami's green before the avatar smirked. "Yeah, you've got a little something here too." Asami's lips formed a silent 'o' and her hand reached up to brush it off, but Korra grabbed her hand, and dipped her into a kiss. They parted and Korra smirked again. "Just kidding, it was me."

Asami laughed and hit the avatar playfully across the arm. "I swear, Korra, you are too cheesy for your own good."

"Come on, Asami. You've been hard at work finding the perfect pie, but I think it's time to enjoy the weekend. Maybe go to the park and feed the turtle ducks?"

Asami frowned. "Just one more pie. I think I've got it, really. Your ingredients, with just a dash more of sugar and my butter to flour ratio for the crust is spot on, not to mention the crosshatch design is a flawless combination of utility and aesthetics."

Korra chuckled at Asami's enthusiasm. "Fine. One more. For you."

* * *

Korra's tongue stuck out slightly as she concentrated in making the flame just the right temperature. She maintained a steady movement as her hands circled around the pie, the pleasant smell of cooking butter and sugar filled the room again. The avatar extended her fingers and waved her hand across the top, lightly broiling the pie to golden perfection. "There!"

Asami beamed at the creation. "It looks amazing! I almost don't want to test it. But," said the engineer, handing a fork to Korra. "In the name of science, we must proceed on wards!"

Korra grinned and the two both took a bite out of the pie. There was a moment of silence, but was then filled by both women's content sounds. "I think we finally did it. The perfect pie," stated Asami, taking another bite.

Korra nodded in agreement. "You should write down the recipe: One part flour, two parts butter, four parts apple, two spoonfulls of sugar," Korra tapped her pointer finger against the side of her mouth thoughtfully. "A dash of salt, a generous pinch of cinnamon." Her face lit up. "Oh! And don't forget: a generous helping of love."

The ridiculous wiggling of the avatar's eyebrows only made Asami laugh more. "Come on you dork, let's take this pie to the couch and watch a mover." Korra responded with a grin and the two made their way to the living room, perfect pie in tow.

Halfway through the mover Asami lifted her head from Korra's shoulder. "You know what would go great with that pie?"

"Hmm?" asked Korra, the unspoken question causing her chest to rumble comfortingly against Asami's.

"The perfect ice cream."


End file.
